After His Demise, the Demon Lord's Doted Canary Finally Sees the Light - Chapter 89

“Chuanze?” Jie Qiao  frowned. “The disciple who used evil arts during the disciple selection?”

The name Chuanze had been spread throughout all the immortal sects the previous year during the Qianshan Sect’s  disciple selection.

Jiufang Cangze didn’t expect them to remember that incident. Li Yunhad framed him that time, casually pinning a crime on him and having him tied up.

Qiu Fuxue  had anticipated this. His expression didn’t change as he said, “That’s him. But Chuanze sincerely repented afterward and repeatedly promised me he would never touch those wicked ways again. Since his talent is exceptional, I made an exception and took him as my disciple.”

Never touch wicked ways again? Impossible. Jiufang Cangze silently took a sip of his tea.

“I see.” Jie Qiao nodded, but no matter how he looked at this Chuanze, he seemed full of wickedness. He wondered if Qiu Fuxue could even control him.

With the groundwork laid, Qiu Fuxue went straight to the point. “Sect Leader, the reason for my visit is a riddle my master left for me before he passed away.”

“Oh? I’d like to hear it!”

Jiufang Cangze also perked up his ears, wondering what kind of lie Qiu Fuxue would spin now.

“It’s like this: The riddle left me completely baffled. I finally found some inspiration in an ancient text. My master’s intention, it seems, was for me to come to the sea near Morning Twilight City every year to retrieve a bowl of deep-sea water to offer at his spiritual tablet.”

Qiu Fuxue spoke with genuine emotion. Jiufang Cangze tilted his head, watching him. As far as he knew, there was no spiritual tablet for Yuan Li Tian at the Qianshan Sect, not even a grave.

Jie Qiao believed him, seemingly pondering Yuan Li Tian’s  true intentions. “This… Sect Leader Yuan’s foresight is far-reaching. He wouldn’t have you do this for no reason.”

“Exactly.” Qiu Fuxue wove a perfect fictional tale. “After much investigation, I learned that the white lotus I was born from was nourished with the deep-sea water from this very place. Forgive my audacity, but my master’s dying wish must have been to alleviate his longing for me…”

As he spoke, a crystal tear slipped from the corner of his eye.

Jiufang Cangze believed this realistic acting must have been perfected during his time of enduring humiliation.

“Look at me, I’m so clumsy! I’ve brought up such a sad subject for you!” Jie Qiao first blamed himself. “Since it is Sect Leader Yuan’s dying wish, how can I not help? Just tell me how many people you need, and you can take as many as you want from the Dongyang Sect!”

Seeing his generous offer, Qiu Fuxue lowered his eyelids, hiding the flash of success in his eyes. “This is a mission my master left for me alone. It would be a great disservice to the old man to ask for help.”

He wiped away his tear and continued, “I shouldn’t have told you about such a sad matter, but entering the deep sea will inevitably cause a great stir…”

He meant that he didn’t want his help, just his permission not to interfere.

“Not a problem.” Jie Qiao said with righteous assurance. “The sea is not exclusively owned by the Dongyang Sect. You can go right ahead! If you run into any other difficulties, just let me know!”

After leaving the Dongyang Sect, Jiufang Cangze still felt as if it were all a dream. His A-Xue had created a perfect image of a dutiful, filial disciple.

“Master?” His tone was playful. Since there were people around, he didn’t get too close. “Let’s go look at the sea.”

That single word, “Master,” made Qiu Fuxue’s whole body uncomfortable. He scolded him, “What are you shouting for?!”

Jiufang Cangze chuckled, a smug look on his face. “How about this? We can call each other whatever we want from now on. I’ll call you ‘Master,’ and you can call me ‘Husband.’ How does that sound?”

Qiu Fuxue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Stop being ridiculous! It was just a made-up excuse to deal with them. You’d better forget it!”

As the sun began to set, the two arrived at the beach. Qiu Fuxue wasn’t in a hurry to enter the sea. He decided to give himself a night to simply act as a normal human couple.

The fishing boats had mostly come ashore. The fishermen had worked all day and were eager to go home to their families.

The mortals rushing to and fro for their livelihoods seemed to barely notice them.

Qiu Fuxue mustered his courage and took Jiufang Cangze’s hand.

Jiufang Cangze held his hand back, turning to look at him. Sure enough, Qiu Fuxue’s face was flushed.

They walked slowly along the shore, holding hands openly.

“A-Xue,” Jiufang Cangze spoke first. “The Primordial God )… he didn’t say many serious things to me, but he said one thing that was right.”

“What was it?” Qiu Fuxue asked curiously.

Jiufang Cangze smiled. “He told me to go after you.”

“The Primordial God was actually quite kind to you,” Qiu Fuxue lowered his head, looking at their interlocked hands and the heart-blood beads on his wrist. “You were just too mischievous and didn’t understand his good intentions.”

“I was born this way. He created me like this.” Jiufang Cangze didn’t mind. The moment Qiu Fuxue accepted him, he accepted his own fate.

“A-Xue, when we find the god statue and bring the Primordial God back… will you marry me?”

He thought the other man would call him ridiculous, but after a long silence, he looked over and saw that the fair-skinned face had turned completely red.

“…Yes.”

The voice was so quiet it was barely audible.

Jiufang Cangze was stunned and his eyes widened slightly.

Looking around and seeing no one, Qiu Fuxue let go of his hand, stood on his tiptoes, and wrapped his arms around Jiufang Cangze’s neck.

“I said, I’m willing to marry you.”

Jiufang Cangze stared at the light crimson eyes for a long moment and let out a soft laugh. He lifted his hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. “A-Xue, you’ve given me so many surprises today. I’m going to go crazy with happiness.”

“But you don’t look very happy.” Qiu Fuxue tilted his head and landed a soft kiss on his lips.

But when he tried to pull away, it was too late.

Jiufang Cangze wrapped his arms around him and deepened the kiss.

“Mmm…”

Their hot breaths intertwined. Qiu Fuxue was breathless from the kiss.

Showing neither joy nor anger on his face—this was the true Jiufang Cangze, the sole lord of the Azure Sea Palace and the one-of-a-kind尊者 (revered one) of the demon realm.

His thin lips were slick with moisture and a light red color. Jiufang Cangze finally let go of him, but their foreheads were still pressed together.

The lingering warmth had not yet faded. Jiufang Cangze suddenly remembered a line he had read in a little romance novel: “To have your heart is enough for this life.”

They returned to the City Lord’s manor after dark.

The courtyard was lit up with bright lanterns. Lan Shiyi seemed to be entertaining some guests, as the sound of Jing An’s laughter could be heard from the main hall.

Since it was Lan Shiyi’s private business, Qiu Fuxue felt it was inconvenient to disturb him. He was just about to bypass the courtyard and head to his room when he saw a drunken figure stumble out.

Under the lantern light, Qiu Fuxue could clearly see the man’s face. He was very young, probably around the same age as him, and dressed in lavish clothes.

Qiu Fuxue’s white robe was particularly conspicuous in the night. The man, reeking of alcohol, staggered over to him.

“What a beautiful person… come and have a drink with me!” he said, reaching out a hand to touch his face.

“Ahhh—!”

With a crack, the man let out a miserable scream.